Supporting and closing means for collapsible tubes



Jan. 10, 1956 REAMs 2,730,262

SUPPORTING AND CLOSING MEANS FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Filed April '24, 1952Fig:

l-lumer Rea/11s INVENTOR.

SUPPORTING AND CLOSING MEANS FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBES Hunter Reams,Hagerstown, Md. Application April 24, 1952, Serial No. 284,103 2 Claims.(Cl. 22018) This invention relates to new and useful improvements inholding devices for collapsible tubes and the primary object of thepresent invention is to provide a novel and improved means forreleasably holding a plurality of collapsible tubes while retaining thedischarge ends of the tubes closed and sealed, in such a way as toprovide for greater convenience in the use of the tubes and for theirneat and orderly storage when not in use.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide asupporting and closing means for collapsible tubes involving capelements having means for tightly closing and sealing the dischargenozzle of a collapsible tube that is received within the cap element.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a collapsibletube having a modified nozzle end with interconnecting means between thenozzle and a cap element for camming and retaining the nozzle end intight sealing engagement with a washer positioned in the cap element.

A still further aim in the present invention is to provide supportingand closing means for collapsible tubes that is extremely simple andpractical in construction, neat and attractive in appearance, strong andreliable in use, efiicient and durable in operation, inexpensive tomanufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which thesame is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperations as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing the present inventionapplied to the molding strip of a bathroom wall and holding a pluralityof collapsible tubes in vertically inclined positions;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional View takensubstantially on the plane of section line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the collapsible tube usedin conjunction with the present invention;

Figure 4 is an elevational view of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the plane ofsection line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cap element forming part of theinvention and with parts thereof verse apertures that accommodatefasteners 12, by the base member may be removably secured to asupporting structure, such as the molding strip S of a bathroom wall W.

nitecl States Patent 0 faces are formed with V-shaped notches or seats30 and sloping cam surfaces 32 and 34 that extend upwardly toward theV-shaped notches 30.

yieldingly retained by the resilient character of the washers.

Numeral 40 represents a collapsible container or tube whose neck neckportion 42. The lugs in cross-section and include 50 that meet at anapex 52.

46 are substantially triangular sloping lower surfaces 48 and surfaces50 of the lugs faces 32 of the lugs 26 notches 30.

position, the apices 5 flex slightly. Through this construction, as thecap elements are threaded into the recesses, the flat upper Walls 54 ofthe cap elements would bear against the end walls 18 to yieldinglyretain the cap elements within the recesses.

It should also be noted that the surfaces of notches 30 that extend tomeet surfaces 32 are inclined abruptly to a greater angle than thesurfaces of the notches 30 that meet surfaces 34. This arrangement tendsto prevent counter clockwise rotation of the tube for removal thereoffrom its cap element. In other words, the neck of the tube is held inthe cap as the tube is rotated clockwise and the are received in thenotches 30, the flat lower edges 40a of the tubes 40 will be alignedwith one another as shown Patented Jan. 10, 1956' in Figure 1, or willhang in such other position or positions as may be preselected toprovide the greatest convenience in the use of the tubes and the neatestand most orderly storage when not in use.

The cap elements 20 are preferably constructed of a resilient material,such as plastic, so that the nozzles 44 will be in tight scalingengagement with the seats 36 and the washers 38 and so that the lugs 26and 28 may flex downwardly slightly, as the tubes 40 are turned to theright, approximately one quarter of a turn, in order to remove the tubesfrom their holding caps.

The lugs 46, the lugs 26 and 28, the abrupt ends of the threads orthreaded ends 22, and the abrupt ends of the thread grooves in thesockets are so arranged relative to each other as to hold the tubesin-fixed, predeterminedpositions with respect to each other. T he devicethus described will provide for greater convenience in use of the tubes,and for their neat, orderly storage when not in use.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of thedevice will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A moredetailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shownand described a prcferred ernhodiment of the invention the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. Supporting and closing means for the necks of collapsible tubescomprising an elongated base member attachable to a wall and havingbottom longitudinally spaced threaded recesses -therein,-externallythreaded caps for said necks rotatable in one and the same direction insaid recesses for threading into the same, opposite notched cam lugs insaid caps, and opposite lateral lugs on said necks rotatable over saidcam lugs by rotation of said necks in said caps in said one directionand into and from interlocking engagement with the notches in said camlugs, said cam lugs coactin g with said lateral lugs during suchrotation of the necks to earn the necks inwardly of the caps, thethreads in said recesses and those on said caps having terminal radialstop shoulders engaging upon rotation of said caps in said one directionto establish a like position of the cam lugs in the caps to therebyestablish a like position of all of the tubes when the lateral lugs onthe necks engage the notches in the cam lugs,

said lateral lugs during rotation thereof into disengaging positioncoasting with said notches to maintain s i shoulders engaged.

2. Closing means for the neck of a collapsible tube comprising a cap forsaid neck externally threaded for turning into a support by rotation ofthe cap in one direction, opposite notched cam lugs in said cap andopposite lateral lugs on said neck rotatable over said cam lugs into andfrom interlocking engagement with the notches in the cam lugs byrotation of said neck in said cap in said one direction, said cam lugscoacting with said lateral lugs during such rotation of the neck to camsaid neck into said cap, the external threads on said cap terminating ina stop shoulder adapted upon turning of the cap into the support in saidone direction to engage a stop shoulder on said support when the laterallugs engage the notches in the cam lugs, said lateral lugs duringrotation thereof into disengaging position coacting with said notches toturn said cap in said one direction whereby to engage the shoulder onthe threads with the shoulder in the support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS824,150 Chamas June 26, 1906 837,871 McConnell et al. Dec. 4, 19061,072,940 Goppelt Sept. 9, 1913 1,247,600 Priddy Nov. 20, 1917 1,279,695Hollis Sept. 24, 1918 1,424,243 Fox c- Aug. 1, 1922 1,487,085 BlackshcarMar. 18, 1924 1,561,298 Baldwin Nov. 10, 1925 1,694,781 Hothersol Dec.11, 1928 1,903,464 Konanz Apr. 11, 1933 1,915,671 Hyer June 27, 19331,970,631 Sherman Aug. 21, 1.934 2,028,694 Spinks Ian. 21, 19362,069,018 Rayburn Jan. 26, 1937 2,078,149 Lutz Apr. 20, 1937 2,078,743Traum Apr. 27, 1937 2,085,629 Bridge June 29, 1937 2,100,223 Reed Nov.23, 1937 2,136,033 Van Rossern Nov. 8, 1938 2,449,197 Benzinger Sept.14, 1948 2,513,458 Dion July 4, 1950 2,619,310 'Winslow Nov. 25, 1952FOREIGN PATENTS 459,659 Great Britain of 1937

